MALARIA

There are four species which infect humans:

 Plasmodium vivax
Accounts for 95% infections
 Plasmodium falciparum (malignant malaria)
 Plasmodium malariae
 Plasmodium ovale

It is a tropical disease.

Vector- female anopheles mosquito

Life cycle- Cyclic alternation between asexual and sexual phases

Asexual- human (intra- corporeal phase)

Intermediate host

Sexual- mosquito (extra corporeal phase)

Definite host

TROPHOZOITE:
 Mature, feeding stage, intracellular parasite, present in man
 Amoeboid, uninucleate and surrounded by double layered plasmalemma
 Cytoplasm is granulated, vacuolated
 Contain ER, ribosome, food vacuole, mitochondria
 Food vacuole contain haemozoin
 Concentric body (attached to plasmalemma) has mitochondrial function. (high metabolic
activity)

ASEXUAL PHASE:

Repeating cycles of asexual multiplication (schizogony)

Liver RBC
(Liver Schizogony) (erythrocytic schizogony)

Mosquito bites human- sporozoites released. (It is a thread like, curved, tapering ends, elongated
central nucleus.

LIVER SCHIZOGONY (PRE- ERTHYOCYTIC CYCLE):

 Sporozoites circulate in blood stream for 30 minutes
 They get into hepatocytes to undergo liner schizogony
What happens inside hepatocytes?

Sporozoites absorb nutrients and transform into CRYPTOZOITE

CRYPTOZOITE
|
CRYPTOSCHIZONT
| (Multiple fission)
CRYPTOMEROZOITES (numerous)
|
Hepatocyte Rupture
|
Crypto merozoites released in liner sinusoids

CRYPTOMEROZOITE
|
Invade RBC
|
Endo- erythrocytic cycle begins

Liner Schizogony- no symptoms

ENDOERYTHROCYTIC SCHIZOGONY

CRYPTOMEROZOITE
|

RBC

|
Transform into TROPHOZOITE

Ingestion of Haemoglobin

Portion of RBC unoccupied by TROPHOZOITE- has dotted appearance

Schuffner’s Dot- P. vivax

Zeiman’s Dot- P. malariae
Maurer’s Dot- P. falciparum

TROPHOZOITE
|
Vacuolated ring (Signet ring)
 Signet Ring

 Large central vacuole (nutrient vacuole)

 Nutrient vacuole
|
Cleavage enzyme
|
Cleave Haemoglobin
|
Haemalin + Amino acids
|
Brown yellow toxic Haemozoin

Parasite size increases pseudopodia develops

Amoeboid

Juvenile Trophozoite

Mature Trophozoite
|
Schizont
| (Multiple fission)
Merozoites

RBC containing Merozoites (Rosette Stage)

RBC broken down

Merozoites released

Symptoms Appear
|
Malarial Paroxysm (recurring fever/ chill)

Pigments accumulate in spleen and under skin (pale yellow)

Merozoites
|
RBC invasion
|
Endo erythrocytic cycle
HYPNOZOITES (Trophozoites in dormant state in RBC, divide later)
|
Cause relapse malaria

FORMATION OF GAMETOCYTES

Several merozoites instead of going through another endo- erythrocytic cycle transform into
gametocyte in RBC

Male Female

Infective to Mosquito

Extra- Corporeal Phase

Mosquito bite RBC enter midgut cavity

RBC Breakdown

Gametocyte release

Extra- Corporeal Phase

Gamogony Syngamy Sporogony

Midgut cavity Gut Wall

Gamegony

Gametocytes
|
Gametes (n)

Male gametocyte – 4 to 8 gametes (male)

(non- motile, non flagellated)
Female gametocyte – female gamete
(Motile, flagellated)

Male gametocyte – male gametes (EXFLAGELLATION)

Female gametocyte – Meiosis – female gamete + 3 polar bodies

Syngamy

Female gamete + male gamete --- Zygote (2n)

Anisogamy (Syngamy)

Plasmogamy+ Karyogamy

Sporogony

 Asexual multiplication of mosquito

 Immotile, zygote rounded– Motile, elongate ookinete

S
P Ookinete
O | encystation
R Oocyst
O
G
O
N |
Y

Sporont (dividing form)

| mitosis
Sporozoites

Oocyst ruptures – Sporozoites Release

Enter haemolymph

|
reach salivary gland

Mosquito bites releasing sporozoites in human blood